Sports and Games

Nobody can deny that games are a part and parcel of life. In fact, life itself is a game and this world is a big playground. We have to play the game of life with all our energy and courage. The game of life is a hard out to crack. In order to play the game of life well, we have to learn to be good players. It is through games and sports only that we can learn how best to overcome the challenge of life.

There are different kinds of games and sports. There are indoor games as cards, chess, ludo etc. Out of the outdoor games, Hockey, Football, Volleyball, Cricket, Tennis etc. are the most common ones. Races, Jumps, Throws, Weight-lifting are some of the other kinds of the sports. Games and sports are necessary and useful for all. They are especially useful for the students who must have a balanced development of the body as well as the mind. A sound mind lives only in a sound body. “All work and no play,” as the proverb goes, “makes Jack a dull boy.” Games and sports contribute to an all-around development of personality and develop such qualities as help in the formation of a noble character.

Games play an important part in life. Education is incomplete without games. Games are necessary to keep the body fit and trim. Moreover, they provide recreation. As a result, one feels smart and cheerful throughout the day. If one is cheerful and healthy, he or she is able to get the best out of life. A player really enjoys life. For him, life is a song and a beauty. On the other hand, an unhealthy man cannot enjoy life.

We feel happier in a playground than we do in a classroom. While playing in the playground we feel happier because we forget the homework and the scolding of the teachers. Players are better friends. Games teach us the lesson of discipline, teamwork, patience and punctuality. In the playground, the players obey the captain and abide by the rules of the games. Games also teach us that we should play a game for the game’s sake, not for victory or defeat. As Grant land Rice has aptly remarked:

“When the Great scorer comes

To write against your name

He marks – nor that you won or lost-

But how you played the game.”

The Duke of Wellington once said, “The battle of Waterloo was won on the playgrounds of Eton.” He meant that discipline, patience, courage and optimism learnt on the playgrounds of Eton had stood him in good stead and these qualities had led him to victory

If a person is physically fit, he is also mentally fit and healthy. There is always a sound mind in a sound body. A healthy man is always hopeful and cheerful. On the other hand, an unhealthy person leads a painful and miserable life. Life becomes a burden to him. Games and sports also produce a sense of equality, cooperation and fraternity. They provide enough of amusement to remove the rust caused by our dull routine. They add colour to an otherwise dull and boring life. All those qualities which we get from the playground help us to face the struggle of life.

Today, games and sports have assumed a great importance. Sportsmen and players have started choosing sports and games as their careers. It is a compulsory subject in schools in most of the states in the country. State Governments are giving special grants to their best sportsmen and players. Newspapers and periodicals carry special sections for sports news from all corners of the world. Matches played at the national or international level are relayed over the radio and TV networks. The staging of the ninth Asian Games in 1982 and the World Cricket Cup in 1994 in India greatly enhanced the status and prestige of the lovers of sports all over the country, Sportsmen are certainly the backbone of any nation. They deserve a place of pride and honour in any country.